The tide was restless that night.
Jayden sat at the edge of the cliff, the salt spray misting his face, his mind heavy with ghosts he couldn't outrun.
Aria sat beside him, tossing pebbles into the abyss.
> "You never laugh with your whole heart," she said suddenly. "It's like...you're afraid if you do, you'll forget something important."
Jayden didn't respond immediately.
He couldn't.
Because she was right.
If he laughed freely,
If he let go —
It would feel like betrayal.
Betrayal of everyone he'd failed.
Instead, he offered a crooked, broken smile.
> "Maybe I'm just not good at laughing anymore."
Aria nudged him with her shoulder.
> "Then I'll teach you."
"Lesson one: laugh at yourself. You're terrible at fishing. Even the fish pity you."
For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Jayden let out a genuine laugh — raw, cracked, painful.
But it was a start.
---
Scene 2: Echoes of the Architects
Far across the ocean, inside a black tower that pierced the skies of Novalon, The Architects watched him through secret cameras hidden in satellites and disguised drones.
Every step.
Every word.
Every laugh.
They recorded it all.
At the head of the table sat a new figure — Lady Selene — the most ruthless of them all.
With silver hair
Scene 3: Storm on the Horizon
Back in the village, the winds shifted.
Animals grew restless.
The old men smoked faster.
The children played closer to home.
Aria noticed it first.
Something was wrong.
That night, as Jayden helped fix a broken roof, Aria stormed up to him, eyes blazing.
> "You need to leave."
Jayden raised an eyebrow.
> "Why?"
> "Because danger follows you like a shadow. I can feel it."
Jayden shook his head.
> "I can't keep running."
"Not anymore."
Aria's voice broke.
> "Then stay and fight! But don't pretend your past won't burn everyone you touch!"
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Because he knew she was right.
The village — these people — they were innocent.
And he…
he was a ticking bomb.
---
Cain came at midnight.
Silent as mist.
Lethal as a falling star.
He entered the village without setting off a single alarm, slipping through shadows like a ghost.
Only Aria, sleepless and suspicious, caught a glimpse of him — a figure dressed in black, blades glinting beneath the moonlight.
She sprinted toward Jayden's hut, heart hammering.
But it was too late.
The door exploded inward.
Jayden barely rolled aside as a dagger sliced through the air, embedding itself into the wall.
Standing in the wreckage was Cain —
grinning like death itself.
> "Found you, little prince."
Jayden didn't hesitate.
Grabbing a broken chair leg, he faced Cain with a grim, tired smile.
> "Sorry. No crown. No kingdom. Just me."
Cain chuckled darkly.
> "Good. I prefer my prey desperate."
The fight was brutal.
Wood shattered.
Steel flashed.
Blood splattered.
Jayden was fast — but Cain was faster. Trained to kill kings, not spar with fallen heroes.
Within minutes, Jayden was bleeding from a dozen shallow wounds, panting, staggering.
Cain pressed the advantage, shoving Jayden to his knees.
> "You think hiding here makes you safe? You think peace is something you can steal?"
"You were born to suffer, Jayden. That's all you'll ever be good at."
Cain raised his blade for the final blow.
Jayden, exhausted, closed his eyes.
Maybe it would be better this way.
Maybe this was justice.
---
But before the blade could fall —
A scream tore through the night.
> "NO!"
Aria charged Cain with nothing but a kitchen knife and a heart full of fury.
Cain turned lazily, prepared to swat her away like an insect —
But he underestimated her.
She slashed his face, leaving a ragged scar across his cheek.
Cain roared in rage.
Snarling, he shoved her away violently. She hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood trailing from her forehead.
Something inside Jayden snapped.
Not anger.
Not revenge.
Something deeper.
Hope.
Because even after everything,
someone still believed he was worth saving.
Jayden surged up, seized a shard of broken wood, and drove it into Cain's side.
Cain howled, stumbled — and fled into the darkness, vanishing as quickly as he came.
For now.
Jayden collapsed beside Aria, cradling her gently.
She was unconscious but breathing.
And for the first time, Jayden realized:
He had something new to fight for.
Not revenge.
Not redemption.
But the future.
---